Eccentric but awesome dining evening!!…read more We booked the day before, online over Facebook, explaining that one of our diners was soy intolerant (but still loved Japanese food.) The owner was cool about it and we organised to be there at 6pm. We arrived at the venu, just a doorway with an unassuming sign between two shops. This instantly reminded me of some of the places we ate when we were in Japan in 09. Walking upstairs it opens up to a two table dining room with a small kitchen at one end. The decor is quirky, with Japanese memorabilia adorning the walls and mismatched Japanese cutlery on the table. There is a Japanese cooking gameshow on the TV in the corner. The elderly Japanese cook greets you from behind the kitchen and motions for you to sit. Since we are the only table to book, Ochiai San is all the staff tonight. There is no menu. We sat down and ordered some Asahi super dry and prepared ourselves. Degustation/ omakase style, heaps of small plates with delicious Japanese food start appearing. The chef was quiet at first, busy behind the grilles, but warmed up with jokes and banter as the night went on. Food was fresh and delicious, made from whatever could be sourced locally and turned into savory creations. 12 different "dishes" served over about 10 plates ranging from Japanese pickles to brothy soups to dumplings to wagyu beef to choco-nanas. All very tasty. I don't normally like degustation style dining but I was happily full at the end of it all. After dinner Ochiai San came and chatted with us about all sorts of stuff, Japanese dining etiquette, what we liked about the meal, took goofy photos with us with some pre prepared photo frames, he really does feel like he runs the place because he genuinely loves cooking. Really great experience, looking forward to going back there again.

We had been planning to visit Sakura Kitchen for ages. We stumbled upon it years ago when going to…read morethe adjacent supermarket and called in to ask about a booking. However, from memory they were booked up weeks in advance at the time so we put it on the back burner. Since then we've heard so many good reports that we made a date to go with some old mates. The unassuming entrance to this restaurant is sandwiched between a pizza shop and a butchery and is actually easy to miss if you are focussed on the pizza or the meat shopping. There is no menu. The Japanese owner cooks for you, seemingly whatever takes his fancy on the day. It's a small and intimate setting and you can chat to the chef from your table while he cooks. There were only three people working there: the chef, and two others who helped prep in the kitchen and wait on the table. We were a group of 12 and we were the only customers, all seated at one table which filled the whole restaurant. The chef will also open the restaurant and cook for just one couple, as he did for some friends' anniversary recently. I don't think the waiting staff were there so he just served them himself. If you are a fussy or picky eater, don't bother going to Sakura because you won't enjoy or appreciate the effort that goes into the food. If you must go, please be well-mannered and don't pout or turn up your nose at things you don't recognise. It's really immature and insulting to the chef. And don't announce to your fellow diners why you don't want to eat it - they don't want to know! But really... just don't go. We had about 10 courses I think. Each course comes on small serving plates, like a Japanese degustation without the wine to match. There's everything from vegetable to meat (Wagu), chicken and seafoods. It's all very good. Not being Japanese and not having a menu to refer to I don't know what the dishes were called but everything was delicious and presented beautifully with accompanying dipping sauces and condiments. There was so much food that we were all struggling at the end, but had room for the unusual green tea ice cream at the end. They are fully licensed but the selection is very small. I was offered a red or a white wine! They also do sake which some of our party imbibed a little too freely.. A trip to the bathroom is amusing, there is a heated Japanese toilet seat which does other things, (see photo). Our bill came to approximately $70 per head but would be less without alcohol. It was a great experience, unique and special and we'll be going back again.

The food here was so fantastic - we went twice during our stay! I am an avid Japanese food lover…read moreand was extremely impressed with the food quality. The T-bar roll is a MUST. The shrimp is out of this world. Restaurants on the street are typically expensive because of the fabulous view. With Takara you get a fantastic and reasonably priced meal, while enjoying the beautiful ambiance of being near the water. Lovely staff paired with excellent food - a recipe for success.

Great sushi, but the service could use an upgrade. It was so slow. Too slow. Pretty good taste and…read morepresentation though. I would recommend to a friend.

Ordered via Uber Eats. Food was tasty & fresh. Portion size was appropriate. Would definitely…read moreorder again. Only comment is they did Not include Utensils.

I recently visited the Tanpopo branch in Howick for the first time. It's been a while since I'd…read morevisited the one in town, but I feel like the two branches, menu aside, couldn't be anymore different. Tanpopo Howick seats quite a few more people and has more of a Saturday hangout feel as opposed to a family restaurant. There are bar seats aswell if you're just there for drinks or would prefer to have your meal there. Our table for two was massive, and suitably so because it ended up being covered in food. The tables and ottomans are very close together and its s tight squeeze to get in and out of your seat. I didn't find this to be a huge problem, but this really depends on personal preference. The service here was awesome. We were greeted immediately by one staff member and they were great throughout the night. Our food came out quickly and it took us a while to get through it all. Their miso soup is just delicious and for $3 you get a massive bowl- it will certainly make you realise that you're being ripped off everywhere else. This is also the best miso I've had in recent times and one is enough to share between two people. We also ended up grabbing a loyalty card to get a few dollars off on our next visit. We even got a couple of extra stamps on ours because it was our first visit! Excellent and consistent service and food, I would highly recommend Tanpopo for a great meal.

The food served doesn't always seem like authentic Japanese food. (I'm not an expert, it's just a…read morefeeling) Presentation and atmosphere is done well and it's a good place for a few friends to get together but I wouldn't make it regular visits

The enormous bamboo and hibiscus table decoration drew us in to Gouemon, which from the outside is…read morean unassuming kind of place. Soon after we were seated we had that happy, relieved feeling that this was a Japanese restaurant that actually had Japanese waitresses and chefs, which is a great find these days. Gouemon has the cosy, traditional interior that's so inviting about authentic Japanese restaurants. The food is slightly more expensive that other similar places, but it was absolutely delicious. I recommend the sizzling prawns in golden cream sauce ($19.80), and the banana tempura with ice cream. Forget your waistline, enjoy, and take advantage of the BYO to save a little money!

Very good Authentic Japanese Food. Food was great…read morePrices reasonable Service was great Family run restaurant. We enjoyed our dinner here very much Thank You Arigato

Good food. Looks like a mom and pop owned business. Chef worked hard to cook as well as prepare…read moresushi and sashimi. All of the food was decent and tasty. The only issue was service. Expect food to be served over a longer period of time since wait help was limited. But we all know the difficulty of labor shortages so just be patient with this homely restaurant.

Excellent japanese food at reasonable prices. The lunch menu offers a variety of meals with rice…read more And the dinner menu offers an extensive range of japanese dishes such as sukiyaki. There is no need for reservations.

Can't go wrong coming here, except for getting a table if you haven't pre-booked. Make sure you do…read morebook , else you may never get a table or be " left out in the cold " for a while. This particular night we came we could not get a booking until at least an hour or so later, so we popped in when passing by to see if maybe they could maybe squeeze us in somehow. Luckily, yes, they could give us a table as long as we were finished in an hour. Thank you! We gratefully took it. The service is pretty quick here so did not have to wait long for the orders to be taken. I had the Pork Katsuni with rice ( it can be ordered without rice ) , and my other half had the Pork Miso Katsu. My order came out in the little pot still cooking above a flame and a timer placed next to it for 10 minutes. When it beeps at 10 minutes then it is fully cooked. Worth the ten minutes wait as is pretty good .. Of all the Pork Katsuni i've had this rates up amongst the best. Pork well cooked and all. So overall, service is great, food too, ambience very good, it's clean...and i really like how the split long tables into seperate seatings for 2, 4 or however many. And the price is as expected..not too bad. Well worthy of 5 stars!

Despite the lack of reviews - yes, yelpers, I'm talking to you;) - this place is gaining a quick…read morefollowing. Even on weeknights the place is packed (and they told us we would be fine on a Thurs evening with a large group, but not a seat left in the house as the night wore on). The food is tasty but expect small portions, so eat before hand, or after if need be! I even got to cook my own fish dish at the table with bunsen burner and timer. Tasted pretty good chef. Service was ok, but seemed a bit unsure of themselves at times, could have been new staff perhaps? Well worth trying out if you are in the area or a local. Hefty price tag but worth the occasional splurge. Enjoy!

This is the best sushi / Japanese restaurant I've ever been to, ever since Ying Sun Takeaways shut…read moredown, we have been coming here for takeaways and I was never a fan of sushi before I tried this. The sushi is just delicious it has a flavor that draws the attention to your taste buds. Customers are very nice even though there is a language barrier. I would recommend having the chicken / salmon donburi even though there is an extra 3 dollar charge. Deserves a 5 star

Love this place! The staff are friendly and the food is incredible! Great pricing and large…read moreportions. The restaurant is clean and tidy as well :)

Great food, service and atmosphere! Best sushi in the area. Highly recommend this restaurant!read more

Nishiki for me was an average-joe Japanese restaurant. I popped in here for a lunch on my friends…read morework break. The store interior seems to have lived its days already with the seat cushions starting to come apart. The food wasn't terrible and the pricing was "okay". However it still seems to be pretty popular. Service was nothing more than taking your order and delivering the food (Water and Tea is self-served).

My family loves Daikoku and we've been coming here for years. The Botany branch is much close to…read morehome which is instantly an advantage, and I love coming here for a nice dinner treat. Watching your food being cooked in front of you is a great novelty and I don't think I'd get sick of it. All of the teppan-yaki chefs I've encountered are always so well-mannered and, of course, very good at their jobs. The yum yum sauce with prawns at Daikoku are one of my many food-related weaknesses- there isn't a lot out there that tastes better than that combination! And my medium rare steak is always cooked perfectly- an advantage of watching some cook your meal for you. They've usually got some awesome specials on during their quieter days (Sunday through Thursday) that include you appetisers, rice, mains and dessert for about $35- a great price at any restaurant!

Despite coming here on the awkward premise of my friend trying to set me up with someone, this…read moreplace did not disappoint. I only found out when I met my friend there, but thankfully the food was so nice I could push away the awkwardness of having a row of guys in front of me almost immediately. The environment had a traditional feel to it, especially with the distinctly Japanese staff. Everyone was so well-mannered and friendly, so I've always meant to go back here, but haven't quite made it. Hopefully soon, so I can eradicate the awkward memories and be served new, adventurous ones tucking into an eel dish perhaps? Sounds like the bad memories may just swim away with that sucker.